This year, Breckenridge celebrated their 43rd annual film festival on September 19-22. Breck Film Festival is considered by USA Today as one of the Top 20 Film Festivals to attend in the nation. Established in 1981, Breck Film has continued to educate, entertain, and inspire through film. With recent internal restructuring, leadership changes, and the latest acquisition of their new art-house, The Eclipse, Breck Film has been thriving and growing more than ever.
On the last day of their 2024 festival, a film and television student from the University of Colorado Denver was able to attend and experience the diverse indie film selection and wide array of screenings that the festival had to offer. Currently a sophomore in the film and television program at University of Colorado Denver, Jayden Roberts was able to immerse himself in the independent film scene with access to the filmmakers by attending Q&A’s, panels, and educational workshops to develop his skills. Roberts speaks on the value of getting a firsthand look into world-class independent film against a scenic high-country backdrop. “I was not aware of James Balog’s work before this but it opened up the idea of nature photography and how important it is for helping the environment. It really inspired me to try to do more nature photography,” said Roberts. 
Roberts was able to glean some insights into how the elements and craft of filmmaking can be used to convey an important concept or story to an audience. He provided a quick synopsis of the film, Chasing Time, to go more in-depth on his thoughts. ‘“After bringing some of the first and most striking visual evidence of our changing planet to the forefront through the groundbreaking study of melting glaciers, photographer James Balog returns to Iceland to close the last chapter of his life’s work.’ The film is extremely focused. James Balog is the core subject of the film and everything fits nicely around that. The cinematography has to be some of the best looking work I’ve seen in a long time,” said Roberts.
While at Breck Film Festival, Roberts also sat in on another film, Escape from Extinction Rewilding. While the film was on the same subject as Chasing Time, Roberts found the film to fall short in comparison, “Rewilding tried to be everything at once… this made it feel bloated.” He found that although the documentary aimed to have a similar impact of Chasing Time, the film found itself trying to conquer too much. Roberts says that “It didn’t really get anything more than surface level from any of these sights.” He continues to say that “Rewilding was all over the place… it felt more like a PSA than an actual documentary.” Roberts can see where filmmakers were trying to go, however, the difference between the two documentaries was “truly night and day… the use of stock footage was very prevalent here and it took you out of it…”
One of the best ways to gain expertise in the film industry is learning how to study and interpret films that your peers in the industry have made, and Breck Film provides that exact opportunity. The growing, thriving, and evolving film scene in Colorado can be directly attributed to film festivals like the Breck Film Fest that provide educational and illuminating experiences for appreciators of the arts and filmmakers alike. With content spanning multiple genres and categories, Breck Film Festival has something to offer for everyone. In addition to these great opportunities, Breck Film also commits their time to impactful student film programs that anyone can attend. Their outreach knows no bounds and as long as film festivals like Breck Film exist, the film scene will always be alive in Colorado.
Photo Credits
Matt Brady, Director, Escape from Extinction Rewilding
Jayden Roberts, CU Denver Student
